Samarqand
Samarqand History Samarqand has a rich history and the region is one of the earliest populated areas on earth. Mostly, Samarqand is known for its position on the Silk Road which saw caravans bring silk, spices and other exotic items from China to Europe. In the 14th Century, Samarqand was the capital of the Timurid dynasty, which most of the Central Asia, including Indian and parts of China and Persia. Samarqand was conquered by the Soviets in the late 1920s and underwent purges before the war to cleanse out the untrustworthy types. Like the soviet purges, this has had the effect of damaging production and efficiency while increasing Soviet (i.e., Stalin) control. Language and Culture Samarqand is primarily Turkic speaking and more than 90% of the population are Muslim. However, everyone who you will need to deal with also speaks Russian as that is the language of government and commerce. Rogue Information Samarqand has 3 Rogue Areas: #Timur's Wall - The main area of the city within Timur's Wall. This area can support any Rogue Operation and Aquisition. #Afrosaib - The Old City, mostly a tourist area. Only Pick Pockets, Disguise and Forgery Operations can be conducted here, no acquisitions. #Outer City - The rest of Samarqand sprawls out of the walled areas. Only Pick Locks and Forgery operations can be conducted here, no acquisitions. There are 3 local gangs: #Steampunk Arab League: These guys run the show and leave standard rogue ops to the little guys. #Al-Zahim Clan: Gang made of the children of caravan traders. Have been working with the Nazis and have supposedly been promised the city when the war is won. Hideout located south of #14. #Roo-kah: Notorious pick pocket ring, focused on the inner city and work with Sultan Bahramov. Timur's Tomb Your primary objective is to find out what happened to Mikhail Gerasimov and re-inter Timur's remains to lift the curse on the Soviet Union. There are a number of factors to consider: *Gur Emir (Timur's Tomb) is located in the walled portion of the city (#10) and has been in excavation for weeks. Approximately a week ago, contact with Gerasimov ceased. Work crews continue to wait outside the tomb but nothing is happening. *The Sultan indicated that "something dark" has taken a hold of the tomb and his scrying cannot pierce the darkness. *Sophie Kukralova is a Nazi agent working in the city (out of #49). She is a very skilled agent and has active surveillance on Timur's Tomb and likely other parts of the city too (markets, entrances, puppet shows?) *A Nazi squad has recently reinforced Sophie. This is likely Hans, Darya and Lisolette/Vasilisa(?). *The rest of the city. Are there other factions who could help/hinder you? The Sultan and Brightmeer encourage you to gather some intel and come up with a plan or at least correctly identify risks before ignoring them. Some points for thought: *How many Nazi agents are in the city and what are their capabilities? Sophie, Darya, Hans, Lisolette and Lt. Gobachev. *What's the extent of the Nazi surveillance apparatus? How can it be avoided? Could it be used against them? Al-Hazim Clan is working with the Nazis and providing surveillance. *What's the layout of Timur's Tomb and what can be learned about the "dark" presence? Is there anything more that can be learned about the "curse"? Strong likelihood that the tomb is defended by undead raised by original members of the Fethullah Ghulen priesthood. Category:Soviet